FEMA activates Missouri Task Force 1 ahead of Hurricane Florence

Missouri Task Force 1 has been activated ahead of Hurricane Florence, according to Gale Blomenkamp, assistant fire chief for the Boone County Fire Protection District, said the group will deploy to Raleigh, North Carolina at 10 a.m. Tuesday as a Type III task force.

“We’re just glad to be able to go help them today,” Blomenkamp said.

As a Type III response, 37 personnel, 10 ground support personnel and more than 100,000 pounds of equipment will be deployed. The task force has also been authorized to bring additional swift water rescue equipment, including 14 swift water rescue technicians, Blomenkamp said.

The deployment comes following a brief weakening of Hurricane Florence as it underwent eyewall replacement cycle, which is common for very strong hurricanes. As of the latest update, Hurricane Florence has strengthened and is racing towards the Carolinas as one of the strongest hurricanes to potentially hit the state in more than half a century.

Once task force members arrive in Raleigh, they will stage and await mission assignments. There is a possibility the team will be assigned to a different location as the storm track becomes more predictable.

Current forecasts have Florence stalling out over North Carolina dumping upwards of 20 inches of rain on an already saturated ground, which could lead to devastating flooding.

Task Force 1 will be joining multiple other groups deployed ahead of Florence’s landfall.

Three members were activated Monday as part of the incident support team, and are expected to arrive in Raleigh at about 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Task Force 1 is one of 28 urban search and rescue teams around the country and is based out of the Boone County Fire Protection District headquarters.